384 
ELEPHANT-HUNTING IN EAST AFRICA 
CHAP. 
en route , through being behind, were, this time, to the fore 
with the rest in the scramble. When a beast is killed on the 
march, I let the men help themselves ; there is not time to 
have it cut up and divided, as it is always best to do with 
meat that can be carried straight into camp. The scene of 
carnage under these circumstances beggars description—such 
hacking and struggling and tearing; one can liken it to 
nothing but the vultures’ carnival, only with men instead of 
birds. The meat supply was most welcome—to myself as 
well as the men. 
Just south of Nyiro the country was much drier than when 
we passed up ; but a little farther on we got quite suddenly 
into fresh green grass, showing that a good deal of rain had 
fallen there recently, further evidence of which was a pool of 
water and the unusual quantity running in the Barta spruit. 
But no sooner did we leave the latter than we got as suddenly 
into dried-up country again, showing that it was only one of 
those narrow storm-paths, I have before noticed, that we had 
been crossing. Quantities of game, attracted by the young 
pasturage, were congregated at one part of this green belt, 
where the grass had previously been burnt, reminding me of 
the Transvaal “High Veldt” in old times, though the species 
here are different. I took toll of them in passing, just before 
we reached our Barta camp, and was successful in picking out a 
very fat E. grevyi for my victim. We found a party of natives 
of the Suk tribe here, living on game which they snared in the 
manner described as practised by the El Gume. I had never 
seen a human being in this part before, and fancy they were 
wanderers beyond their usual range. They all cleared out 
under cover of the night, evidently suspicious of our intentions, 
probably through a consciousness that they were intruders in 
this region. 
We got through the long dry march to the next stream 
splendidly, doing a great part of it by night, the ivory-men 
having by this time become thoroughly accustomed to their 
